How to Use RAR Files With Emulators

By Joshua Laud

Video game emulators allow you to play all your old favorite games on the computer without having to unearth your Sega Mega Drive, Nintendo Entertainment System or other game console. Video games are stored online as ROMs, often in a compressed archive. Compression archives such as ZIP or RAR are used to save space and increase convenience. Some video game emulators can open compressed RAR archives without needing to decompress the archive and files, so try opening your RAR archive straight in the emulator first. If it does not work, you will have to extract the archive.

Extracting RAR Archives with 7-Zip (Freeware)

Step 1

Download 7-Zip from the 7-Zip website (see Resources).

Step 2

Double-click the downloaded installer to begin 7-Zip setup.

Step 3

Locate your RAR archive on your computer. Double-click the archive to open it with 7-Zip. Click "Extract" to decompress the archive. Specify a different location if you prefer, or just click "Extract."

Step 4

Open your emulator, click "File" and then click "Open."

Step 5

Browse to your newly extracted archive, select the files you want to open in your emulator and click "Open." You have now opened your RAR archive in your emulator.

Extracting RAR Archives with WinRAR (Shareware)

Step 1

Download WinRAR from the RARLAB website (see Resources).

Step 2

Double-click the downloaded installer to begin setup.

Step 3

Locate your RAR archive on your computer. Double-click the archive to open it with WinRAR. Click "Extract To" to decompress the archive. Specify a different location if you prefer, or just click "Extract."

Step 4

Open your emulator, click "File" and then click "Open."

Step 5

Browse to your newly extracted archive, select the files you want to open in your emulator and click "Open." You have now opened your RAR archive in your emulator.

Extracting RAR Archives with WinZip (Shareware)

Step 1

Download WinZip from the WinZip website (see Resources).

Step 2

Double-click the downloaded installer to begin setup.

Step 3

Locate your RAR archive on your computer. Double-click the archive to open it with WinZip. Click "Unzip" to decompress the archive. Choose a location, then click "Unzip."

Step 4

Open your emulator, click "File" and then click "Open."

Step 5

Browse to your newly extracted archive, select the files you want to open in your emulator and click "Open." You have now opened your RAR archive in your emulator.

References

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